Deck



E. M. 'WIICHERT DECK May 29,

I Filed Sept. 21, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvENToR= 4 ERNEST Mam-hr y 4 4E; M: WICHERT 2,376,939

' DECK I Filed Sept. 21, 194;: 3Sheets-Sheef 3 ERNEJ'T M W/cmsRrlNvEN-roR Patented May 29, 1945 flblainrs.

, This inventionrelates to decks, and especiallyportable decks suitablefor use as airplane runways, for 'vehiculartraflic; for the storage andhandling of -materials, etc. ,This invention has to do'with decksof-thegeneral type disclosed in my copendingappplications, SerialNos; 473586and 503,218, but relates toa simplified construction in which no meansseparate from the deck panels is required to connect the panelstogether.

; Indeck-s of the type having panels hooked together by hooks integralwith the panels as heretofore proposed the connections ==betweenpanelshave not been such as to enable the transmission of'flexural stress. Inother Words, in decks of the type-mentioned as heretofore proposed,although thepanels have been fastened together so that they remain inassembly, the connectionshave not been such as to imp'artto the deck as--a whole continuous or even semi-rcontinuouscharacteristics buteachpanel has acted more or-less independently so far as transmission offlexural stress is concerned.

.I provide a portable deck which :While it does not have the completelycontinuous'characteristics of the decks of my-saidcopendingapplications'has characteristics approaching continuous; characteristicsand which are much more nearly continuous than the characteristics" ofdecks having panelshooked together by hooks'integral with the "panels asheretofore proposed. means for fasteningadjacent-panels together andalso cooperating bearing means coa'cting with the 'f'asteningm'eans toform a jointbe'twee'n the panels capable of transmitting flexuralstress.

'The'joint between adjacent' pan'els d'oes'not have the completelycontinuous characteristics of the "joints of my saidcopendingapplications' because since the panels are fastened together bymeans formingparts of the panels themselves there must-be:sufficient-loosene'ss at thejoint to enable the panels to beinitially movedintoan'd out of assembled position. However, after therelatively opposed connected panels has substantial-ly continuouscharacteristics within the strengthbf-the material employed.

. I preferably provide cooperating hooks and portions with. whichthe'hooks engage to hold the panels together, Preferablythe hooks facegenerally along the edge of the panel-on which they are formed so thatsuch panel is-assembled with the opposed panel by positioning the hooksin proper relationship with the cooperating portions of the opposedpanel and then relatively moving v the panels generally parallel to thejoint to engage I i rovide slight lost motion is taken up the 'jointbetween p of one of thepanels;

I referencenumeral 2.

the books "with the cooperating portions; i' and it desirable to providehooks On each of a pairor pposed panels; the hooks 'on the respectivepanel's facing inbpposite directions, so. that, when the panels areassembled each one. hooks into the other. Cooperating with the hooks Iprovideb'earing fn ea'nfs to insure maintenance of the'panels in properrelative position. As mentioned above,

the hooks and the portions receiving-thorn and -the cooperating bearingmeans impart to the deck substantially continuous characteristics afterthe initial lost inotion due to the looseness necessary to enableassembly or the panels is taken up.

' Other; details, objectsand advantages of the inventionwill becomeapparent as, the follow ng description. of a present preferredembodiment thereof proceeds.

-;I'n the accompanying drawings 1 have shown: a

present preferred embodiment of theinventioiidn which a Figure .Figur ais anenlarged fragmentaryplanyiew Figure 3 is afurther enlargedfragmentarydetail -plan view showing opposed p'ortio'ns of two panelsand how theyare connected together;

' Figure} is-a cross-sectional view taken onthe line IV- -IV of'Figure3;.and Figures 5 and 6 are perspectiveviews of cooper.-

..ating' portions of adjacentpanels disassembled.

- Referring now more particularly to thedrawings, there is shown inFigure 1 a portable deck made-up otsections or panels each designated byThe 'panels are connected together by means forming parts of thegpanelsthemselves. Each panel consists of a bodyportion 3 and a peripheralfiangei, The body portion 3 is provided with elongated openings 5formed; as described'in my said copending application Serial N0.473,58 6,-by slitting and then deforming the-metal of the panel, flanges6-surrounding the elongated openings adding strength i to the structure.The'elongated openings a-reiarranged :in rows and columns withadjacentopenings in each row and-column oriented at right angles to -oneanotherv With the arrangement disclosed the moment of inertia of eachpanel at allsections perpendicular to the plane of thepanel aindof alength in the plane of the panel equal to the smallest dim'ension: ofthe panel in its plane is substantially the sameso that the structure'isexc'eptionallystrong and rigid for the weight of material employed. q

In the form of structureshown in the drawings I l is arro memry view ora made' up ofpahels fastened together;

side, as will presently be described.

apart toenable any panel to be moved lengthwise the distance necessaryto disengage it from the panels with which it is connected at each 7Each panel has along one' longitudinal edge a flange I which constitutespart of the continuous peripheral flange 4. The flange 1 consists of adownwardly and outwardly inclined portion the directions in which thehooks face.

such movement has been completed and the hooks I 8 and an upwardly andoutwardlyfinclined portion I! joined to the portion 8 at its outer edge.5;

The portions 8 and 9 form between them a trough or channel I0. Hooks -IIare formed integrally with the flange portion 9 and arearrangedatingtervals along the edge of the panel as shown. -The hooks ,II arearranged in pairs, the pairs being spaced apart by a distance equal tothe distance on centers between the elongated openings 5 at the edges ofthe panel and the hooks of each pair being spaced apart'by, a distanceequal to the distance betweenthaslots formed in the flanges 6 of suchopenings for receiving the hooks as will presently bedescribed. Thehooks face longitudinally of the-panel, i. e., along theedge' of thepanel or alongthe joint between adjacent or opposed panels. 7 v

The opposite "longitudinal edge of each panel has a flange I2 forming,like the flange I, a portion of the continuous peripheral flange 4. VThe flange I2 is inclined downwardly and has formed integrally therewithhooks I3. The hooks I3 are likewise arranged in pairs, the pairs beingspaced I apart by a distance equal to the distance between the pairs ofhooks ,II and the hooks of each pair bein'gspaced apart bya distanceequal to the distance between the pockets for receiving the hooks aswillpresently be described. The hooks I3 of one panel facelongitudinally thereof in the direction opposite the direction in whichthe opposedhooks II of the adjacent-panel face. The e hooks II and I3 atopposite edges of any given panel all face in the same direction.

Formed partly in the body portion 3 or the panel and partly inthe/flange portion 8 are depressed straps I4. Theimaterialof the'strapsI4 is severed from the, adjacent material along the side edges of thestraps but not at the ends thereof; Hence a" recessor pocket I5 isformed adjacenteach strap l4 asclearly shown in Figures 4 and 5. Thesepockets'l5 are to receive the hooks l3 when opposed panels areassembled.

Slots I6 are formed in the flanges 6 surrounding the elongated openings5 at the edges of the panel as shown in Figures 3,4 and 6. These slotsI6 are to receivethehooks II when the panels are assembled. Bearingportions I I are also formed on the same flanges 6 as clearly shown .inFigures 3 and 4, these bearing portions being adapted to lie in thechannel II] when the panels are assembled asshown in Figure 4.

When it is desired to assemble twopanels one of them is laid withtheflange 1 extending; generally downwardly as indicated'in Figure 5 andan adjacent or opposed panel is brought alongside the first mentionedpanelwith theflange I2 generally parallel to the flange I as indicatedby'th'e relationship of Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings. The secondpanel is moved into engagement with the first panel so that the hooks I3'lie upon the straps I4 pointing toward the pockets I5 and the hooks IIlie adjacent the slots I6 pointing toward them. At the same time thebearing portions I! lie in the channel I 0 forming keys. There must besufficient looseness to enable the adjacent panels to be assembled asjust described and then to be moved rela tively to each other to engagethe hooks I3 in the pockets I5 and the hooks II in the slots I6- This,of course, is done by moving the panels in After I3 have'been engaged inthe pockets l5 and the hooks II have been engaged in the slots I6 thepanels will be interconnected so as to form what -I term asemi-continuous structure as referred to above. The panels will moverelatively to one another under stress to an extent suflicient to takeup the lost motion necessarily provided for their assembly anddisassembly, but after that lost motion is taken up the deck comprisingthe assembled panels assumes substantially continuous characteristics.

The assembled panels are. suitably held inassembled relationship.This'may be easily accomplished by bending overone or more of the hooksafter the panels have been interengaged so as to I vto lie between theshoulder I8 (Figure'B) at the rear of one of the hooks II and a portionof the flange s therebehind. Such wedge or filler Y block preventsrelative movement of the panels I to disengage the hooks-from therespective pockets and slots and thus insures maintenance of assembly ofthe, panels. When it is desired to disassemble the panelsf' the benthooks are straightened out into their original positions or if a wedgeor filter block has been used it is removed. Then the panels aredisassembled by relatively moving them in the direction opposite thedirection in which the hooks point until' the hooks are disengaged fromthe pockets and slots, whereafter the panels may be lifted apart.

The panels'nare made in right-hand and lefthand sections or designs."Each longitudinalrow of panels is of .the same hand and alternate rowsare of opposite hand. For example, the'top panel in Figure 1 is aleft-hand panel, the two middle panels are right-hand panels and thebottom,

panel is a left-hand panel. The hand of a panel is determined by thedirection in which its hooks .face or point. With the constructiondisclosed it is necessaryfor the hooks of adjacent panels ously embodiedwithin the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A deck comprising a panel having a chan nel extending along its edgeand an opposed panel having bearing means adapted to be positionedinsaid channel, each of the panels having hooks and each of the panelsalso having portions with which the hooks of the other panel cooperateto maintain the panels in assembly, the hooks and cooperating portionscoacting with the channel and bearing means to form a jointbetween thepanels capable of transmitting flexural' stress I' of the other panelcooperate to maintain the panels in assembly, the panels being assembledby relative movement thereof in the direction in which the hooks face,the hooks and cooperating portions coacting with the channel and bearingmeans to form a joint between the panels capable of transmittingfiexural stress.

ERNEST M. WICHERT.

Pat n N 2,576,989. M y 9, 1911-5- ERNEST M. WICBER'I.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring [correction as follows: Page 2;second jcolumn line 11.0, for "fi1ter read -filler-; and that the saidLetters Patent should be read with this correction, therein that thesame may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 18th day of September, A. D. 1914.5.

Leslie Frazer (S 31) First Assistant Commissioner of Patents.

CERTIFICATE OF coRREcTIo Nf; I a.

